In his weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, gardener Jamie Marsh has some winter gems…
I have been thinking lately that I should have mentioned a few winter plants much earlier in the year.
By the time we get to December, most of us are already looking for a bit of colour or scent, yet the best plants for this season really need choosing back in summer. Daphne and Sarcococca are two that always come to mind because they quietly get on with their job just when everything else has faded away.
Daphne, Sarcococca and Winter Jasmine are real gems for winter gardens
Winter has a way of stripping the garden back to its bones. Once the bright leaves have blown away and the herbaceous borders have died right down to the ground, you are left with the shapes and the scents rather than the showy bits.
This is why winter plants feel so special. They do not shout for attention in the same way as summer flowers, but when you walk outside on a cold morning, and something catches your nose, it can change your whole mood.
Daphne is the one who always surprises me. You would never think such a small flower could produce such a powerful scent. On a still winter morning, the perfume hangs in the air, and you can smell it long before you spot the plant. It is one of those scents that makes you stop and look around to see where it is coming from.
It’s not too late to plant for winter
The flowers are tiny and tucked in close, which makes the scent feel even more of a treat. If you ever choose to grow one, it is worth giving it a sheltered corner because they like steady conditions.
Not too windy and not too waterlogged. They take their time to settle, but once they are happy, they are one of the real gems of the winter garden.
Then there is Sarcococca, often called sweet box. It is a small evergreen shrub that sits quietly all year until after Christmas, then it suddenly comes into its own. The flowers are only little white threads really, and you could easily overlook them, but the fragrance is unbelievable.
Warm, sweet and strong. It drifts across the whole garden even when the weather is dull. A lot of people plant it by a front door or along a path so they brush past it every time they come or go. It is one of the easiest shrubs to grow, and it does not mind shade either, which makes it very handy for those corners where nothing else wants to play along.
Tips from gardener Jamie for fragrant winter scents
What I love about winter plants is how they work with the season instead of fighting against it. You are not expecting big colourful displays at this time of year. You are noticing the small details.
The buds are swelling on bare stems. The evergreen leaves shine after rain. The scent that hangs in the cold air and makes you pause for a moment. These are the things that make winter gardening feel peaceful.
If you want more colour as well as scent, there are plants that are worth looking out for. Winter Jasmine with its little yellow flowers that brighten up the dullest wall. The bright stems of dogwood in red or yellow stand out beautifully when you have a bit of winter sun.
Hellebores that start to wake up now and look better and better as we move into early spring. Even a small cluster of snowdrops can lift a border at this time of year as they push through the cold ground.
What all these plants have in common is that they take a bit of forward planning. That is why I found myself thinking I should have mentioned them to you back in the summer. In the heat of July, we never imagine we will be craving fragrance on a cold winter morning, but that is exactly when these plants do their best work.
It is always worth having one or two tucked in somewhere for the months when the garden is quiet. If you fancy adding a bit of winter interest to your own garden, you do not have to wait until next year either. Most nurseries still have Daphne, Sarcococca and other winter shrubs in stock at this time of year, and they can be planted as long as the ground is not frozen.
It is a good way to bring some fragrance into the garden straight away. Then, when summer comes round again, you will know exactly what to look out for and you can add more while the soil is warm and the plants have time to settle.
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